BANGOR, Maine — Small changes in Maine’s medical marijuana laws earlier this year have sparked growth in the legal manufacture and sale of highly concentrated liquid marijuana, according to the Bangor Daily News.

“A little dab’ll do ya, that’s for sure,” said Ryan, a Bangor medical marijuana patient, about the potent substance, which can be smoked or vaporized and inhaled. One hit of the marijuana concentrate feels equivalent to one marijuana cigarette, he said, speaking to the BDN on condition his last name not be published.

Known as “honey oil,” “hash oil,” “dabs,” “earwax” or “shatter,” among other names, homemade marijuana concentrates have caught on quickly because of the popularity and availability of e-cigarettes and vaporizer pens, which offer an easy, discreet way to use the drug.

An amendment to the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act that allows the use and sale of concentrated marijuana went into effect in August.

Maine voters first approved medical marijuana in 1999, which allowed patients to grow their own supply or select a caregiver to grow it for them. In 2009, the law was expanded to include more permitted medical conditions and to allow patients to buy from eight nonprofit, government-sanctioned clinics and marijuana cultivation centers.

Maine’s medical marijuana law was amended again in 2011, eliminating the need for patients to register with the state, and again in 2013, adding post-traumatic stress disorder, inflammatory bowel disease and other illnesses to the list of conditions for which a physician may prescribe medical marijuana.

The rapid spreading of concentrates is a concern for law enforcement, as the potency of marijuana oil can be dangerous, especially for first-time users, and some ways of creating concentrates have led to explosions.